Inner city schools segregate as suburban schools diversify

Minneapolis and St. Paul public elementary schools have returned to levels of segregation not seen since the early 1980s, while suburban schools are more diverse than ever before.

October 23, 2015 at 7:49PM

Minneapolis and St. Paul public elementary schools have returned to levels of segregation not seen since the early 1980s, while suburban schools are more diverse than ever before, according to a Star Tribune analysis of enrollment data for public elementary schools in the 7-county metro.

Segregation in this case is defined as schools that are 80 percent or more minority or 80 percent or more white.

Note: Inner-ring suburban schools are those that are located inside the I-694/I-494 beltway. This analysis includes data for public school districts in Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Washington, Anoka, Carver and Scott counties.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education

about the writers

about the writers

Jeff Hargarten

Data Journalist

Jeff Hargarten is a Minnesota Star Tribune journalist at the intersection of data analysis, reporting, coding and design.

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MaryJo Webster

Data Editor

MaryJo Webster is the data editor for the Star Tribune. She teams up with reporters to analyze data for stories across a wide range of topics and beats and also oversees a small team of other data journalists.

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